Abstract:
From the rhizome of Smilax glabra Roxb., a new
flavanone was isolated and named as smitilbin (1 ),
together with 6 known compounds, engeletin (2 ), astilbin
(3 ), dihydroquercetin (4 ), eurryphin
(5 ), resveratrol (6 ), and 5-O -caffeoylshikimic acid (7 ). These
compounds were applied to the assay of liver nonparenchymal cells (NPC) against
hepatocytes (HC) isolated from mice with an immunological liver injury. Against
the NPC-caused elevation of ALT (alanine transaminase) in culture supernatant
from HC, the pretreatment of NPC with flavanoids (1 - 3 ) dose-dependently blocked the ALT release while 4 , the aglycone of 3 , did not. The chromone 5 showed a much stronger inhibition. Compound
6 also showed the activity. However, 1 - 7 did not show any suppression of NPC or CCl4 -induced ALT release
when they were used to pretreat HC. These results suggest that compounds 1 - 3 , 5 , and 6 could protect the hepatocyte damage from NPC through
selectively producing the dysfunction of NPC with an essential requirement
of rhamnose, and the chromone part in their structures may be critical for
exhibiting the activity rather than through protecting the hepatocyte membranes.
Key words:
Smilax glabra
- Liliaceae - smitilbin - astilbin - immunological hepatocyte damage
